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Bible lessons for persons with cognitive disabilities

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Psalms 5 "The name of God" (© Jeff McNair)

Begin by asking people how they sat or stood or walked this past week (see Psalms 1 lesson). I told them to hold up the card with the picture at the top that best illustrated which of the three they did this past week. In our group, one man said that he couldn't get to sleep this past week, so he started praying. He said he felt God's presence around him and was comforted. Another man said that he stood for God this week when he invited a friend to come to church. He stood because he identified himself as a Christian, and told someone else about his church. Another man said he walked this week when he walked his dog. Well that wasn't quite what we were after, but we were able to talk about how kindly he treated his dog and how that was a good example of a Christian walk to the community. Others shared other things as well.

I then read Psalm 5 in its entirety. Point out that this Psalm was written by David. As you reach verse 11, mention that this is where you are going to spend most of your time today.

Today, we want to talk about names. What could you tell about a person if they had the following name?

Mark- he is a man or boy

Lisa- she is a woman or girl

Jamie- the person could be a man or woman boy or girl (we have a woman named Jamie and two men named Jamie in our group)

Sometimes you can tell more about the person on the basis of his name. In the movie "Snow White" the seven dwarfs each have a name. Do you remember any of the names of the seven dwarfs, and what would the name tell you about each of the dwarfs? (can you name them?)

Sleepy, he liked to sleep a lot

Sneezy, he sneezed a lot

Dopey, he acted dopey a lot

Grumpy, he was grumpy a lot

Happy, he was happy a lot

Doc, he was a doctor

Bashful, he was shy

So we can sometimes tell things about someone by their name. What do we know about the Lord from His name? What does it mean to be "the Lord?" People will answer, he is the boss, he is in charge, we are his servants, and so on. Just the name the Lord, tells us a lot about who God is. But the Bible gives us other names. In Exodus 3:14-15, God refers to himself as "I AM" and as "the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob." I AM means that God has always been and will always be. But how would you like it if someone introduced himself on the basis of his friends.

Hello my name is Jeff. What is your name?

My name is the friend of Sally and Juan and Chuck.

Kind of amazing that the God of the universe would identify himself by his friends on Earth.

In Exodus 34:6-7 God's name is, "The Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin." That is the name I want for my God, not the "god who hates, and kills, and is mean. The God who kicks your butt and laughs at you." God's name tells us who he is. We can learn about God by learning His name.

It is interesting that in the book, The Lord of the Rings, by JRR Tolkien, there is a scene where the Hobbits ask Treebeard, an Ent, what the name of a hill where they are standing is. Treebeard responds that the name would take a long time to state because the hill had been there for centuries. The name of the Lord is just like that. To truly describe the name of the Lord, would take a long time. So, we have a shorthand version...The Lord.

But God's name is very special. Scripture tells us many things about God's name. I will list a few here.

-The Jerusalem temple is the residence of his name (2 Samuel 7:13)

-People pray by calling on his name (Psalm 116:4)

-The name of the Lord protects (Proverbs 18:10)

-The Lord saves by his name (John 3:16)

-There is no other name by which we are saved (Acts 4:12)

-We should not use God's name to swear (Exodus 20:7)

-We should sing praise to His name (Psalms 7:17) When we sing praises, we remember what his name means and are encouraged. We praise Him for being loving, forgiving, protecting, giving grace, etc. all aspects of His name, of who He is.

-This will also cause us to rejoice in His name (Psalm 89:16)

So... those who love your name may rejoice in you.

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

Tell them that you want them to either sit, stand or walk in relation to the name of God this week. So you can sit and read, or listen to music, or pray to learn more about the name of the Lord. You might also take a stand for the name of the Lord. Maybe say to someone that you believe in God. If someone is using God's name to swear, perhaps ask them kindly to not do that. You can also stand against sin in your own life using God's name to help you make a stand. Finally, you might walk recognizing that you are a representative of the name of the Lord. If I work hard at my job, I represent God's name well. If I cheat, or fool around at work, people might think, "Is that how Christians act?" which is not the best way to represent the name of the name of the Lord. If I am kind and loving to others, I am also representing the name of the Lord in my life.

Finally, there is a song you might sing with your group if you already know it, or you might learn it if you want to. Words and guitar chords are available here http://www.pwarchive.com/song.aspx?SongID=2670&v=1 , and you can watch or use the video below from YouTube.

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mail@jeffmcnair.com